Actor Larry Hagman, who played Dallas‘ much-hated J.R. Ewing, died on Friday, November 23 in a hospital in Dallas, Texas.   He was 81 years old.

Hagman was born in 1931 in Fort Worth, Texas, the son of movie and Broadway actress Mary Martin.  He began his entertainment career in live theater, and spent a year performing in the London production of South Pacific with his mother.  Hagman appeared several times on Broadway before making the move to television.  In 1965 he landed the role of Major Anthony Nelson in the highly successful TV show I Dream Of Jeannie.   He began playing the conniving businessman Ewing on Dallas in 1977, at the end of the show’s third season was the subject of the soon-to-be legendary question, “Who shot J.R.?”  The show was cancelled after 14 seasons, but Hagman reprised his famous role for TNT’s Dallas reboot in 2012.

A heavy drinker, Hagman suffered serious health problems and in 1995 received a liver transplant.  He was diagnosed with cancer in 2011; complications from the disease were the cause of his death.

The actor was able to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends prior to his passing.  His family issued the following statement:

“When he passed, he was surrounded by loved ones. It was a peaceful passing, just as he had wished for. The family requests privacy at this time.”

Hagman is survived by his wife of 60 years, Maj Hagman, and their children, Heidi and Preston.

Photo:  Eva Napp/WENN.com

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Two dresses belonging to Amy Winehouse have been discovered missing from the late singer’s Camden (London) home.

The missing items included the Winehouse’s dress from her 2007 Miami wedding to Blake Fielder-Civil, and an iconic “newsprint” cocktail gown by Moschino Cheap & Chic.  She wore the latter for an appearance on Later With Jools Holland in 2006.

The dresses were to be auctioned off to benefit the Amy Winehouse Foundation, a substance abuse prevention charity set up by Amy’s father Mitch Winehouse.  They were found to be missing during a recent inventory of personal belongings still remaining in the singer’s home.  It’s suspected that they were stolen during the days following her death in July 2011.

Mitch Winehouse commented:

“It’s a blow.  It’s sickening to know that someone would steal something in the knowledge of its sentimental value.  Her wedding dress was only a little cotton thing thing, a hundred quid at best in the shops. Whoever nicked it realised its significance and knew it had an extra value.”

The dress Amy wore on the cover of her smash album Back To Black sold at auction for £40,000 (~ $64,000 US).  It’s estimated that her wedding dress could fetch up to £100,000 (~ $160,000 US), and the newsprint dress up to £30,000 (~$48,000 US).

Photo:  WENN.com

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Singer and actress Natina Reed died on Friday, October 26, after being hit by a car.

Reed was walking along a highway in an Atlanta suburb when she was struck.  According to a press release issued by the Gwinnett Police Department, the driver called 911.  People reports that a passenger tried to perform CPR on Reed, but she was pronounced dead on arrival at Gwinnett Medical Center.

An investigation is ongoing, and police are trying to determine why Reed was walking on the state highway.  However, the driver was determined not to be at fault, and it appears no charges will be made.

Reed starred in the cheerleading movie Bring It On (2000). She was a protege of the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, who also died in a car crash in 2002.  Reed was a member of the 1990s R&B group Blaque; shortly before her death, the band was planning a reunion to work on new music and a reality show.   Her surviving band mates, Brandi Williams and Shamari Fears-DeVoe, issued a statement that read in part:

“We are devastated by the loss of our group member, sister and friend Natina Reed. Because of the enormous support of Blaque fans and our love for each another, Blaque officially reunited this fall and we were in the process of working on a new album and a reality show. Natina continuously embodied the pioneering spirit of Blaque and her undeniable creativity touched the hearts of fans everywhere. We ask for your prayers at this time for Natina’s family. She will forever be missed and her global influence eternally felt. We thank God for the experiences we shared.”

Reed is survived by a son, Tren Brown, who is 10 years old.

In memory of Natina Reed, here’s the video for Blaque’s top ten hit from 1999: “808.”  Rest in peace.

Photo:  Universal Pictures

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Russell Means, founder of the American Indian Movement and an actor, died on Monday at the age of 72.

Means was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and a member of the Ogala Sioux tribe. He was known for his advocacy on behalf of Native Americans, and played a key role in urging the United States government to honor its treaties with Indian tribes.  He was one of the leaders of the Wounded Knee uprising on 1973, in which over 200 protesters occupied the reservation town and clashed with U.S. Marshals and the FBI for 71 days.

Means’ Hollywood career spanned voice, television and movie work.  His most notable roles were Chingachgook in Last Of The Mohicans with Daniel Day-Lewis, the voice of Chief Powhatan in Disney’s Pocahontas movies, and the voice of Billy Twofeathers in Thomas & The Magic Railroad.

He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2011 and opted for traditional healing methods rather than western medicine.

Photo: Adriana M. Barraza/WENN.com

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Television actor Gary Collins passed away on Saturday in Biloxi, Mississippi.  He was 74 years old.

Best known for hosting the TV show Hour Magazine (1980-1988), Collins began his acting career in the U.S. Army, performing on television and radio with the Armed Forces Network.  He rose to TV fame in the 1960s and 1970s on such shows as The Iron Horse, The Wackiest Ship In The Army, Born Free and The Sixth Sense.   Collins also hosted the Miss America Pageant from 1985-1989.

He was married to actress Mary Ann Mobley, who won the Miss America pageant in 1959, for 43 years before their separation in 2011.  They reconciled shortly before his death.  Collins and Mobley had one child together, Mary Clancy Collins.  He had two other children, Melissa Collins and Guy Collins, from his previous marriage to Susan Lachman.

According to the Harrison County Coroner, Collins died of natural causes.

Photo:  Nikki Nelson/WENN.com

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Sons of Anarchy actor Johnny Lewis fell to his death earlier this week after apparently killing his 81 year-old landlady and attacking a neighbor and painter next door.

The 28 year-old was found dead in the driveway as investigators responded to calls about screams from the property and violent rampage Lewis is believed to have committed.

Lewis is the only suspect in the murder of Catherine Davis who was strangled and beaten to death and her cat, which police believe Lewis tore apart with his bare hands.

Kurt Sutter, creator of SoA, released a statement regarding Lewis’ death:

“it was a tragic end for an extremely talented guy, who unfortunately had lost his way. i wish i could say that i was shocked by the events last night, but i was not. i am deeply sorry that an innocent life had to be thrown into his destructive path.”

Friends of Lewis’ family reportedly told TMZ that his drug use caused the actor to have a psychotic break earlier this year and his personality changed significantly.

Police say that there is no hard evidence that Lewis was on drugs at the time, but recent probation reports suggest he was suffering from mental health and substance abuse problems.

The actor, who used to date Katy Perry, has had a string of very recent run-ins with the law.

In February he was arrested for allegedly battering a woman, and later that month he was arrested for a burglary. He went to jail in April. On August 17th he plead no contest to felony attempted burglary. He was just released from jail on September 21st.

Lewis was also a devout Scientologist for years and a proponent of the church’s drug abuse program Narconon – even speaking at an event  in 2004.

Narconon is a controversial substance aversion program where detractors say those who are trying to kick a problem are taught little about addiction but instead are indoctrinated into Scientology.

His father, Michael Lewis has reached a very high level within the Church of Scientology and works at the Valley Life Improvement Center which incorporates Scientology beliefs into it’s counseling.

The church has removed Johnny’s name and any mention of him from it’s website and message board.

The autopsy on Lewis is underway but toxicology results are still a couple of weeks away.

[image: Dominic Chan/WENN]

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Legendary crooner and TV host Andy Williams lost his year-long battle with bladder cancer last night at his home in Branson, Missouri. He was 84.

Born on December 3rd, 1927, Williams started singing professionally as a child with his brothers Bob, Dick and Don as the The Williams Brothers Quartet. The group broke up in 1951 with Andy moving to New York.

He became a regular on The Tonight Show, hosted by Steve Allen and went on to have his own variety show that lasted nine years. The Andy Williams Show won three Emmy Awards and spawned his traditional and very popular Christmas specials.

Williams’ music career landed him five Grammy Awards, numerous gold and platinum selling albums and his biggest hit, the Oscar-winning “Moon River” from Breakfast At Tiffany’s.

In the early 1990s Williams moved to Missouri and opened the Moon River Theater.

He is survived by his wife, Debbie and three children.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking donations be made to the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network.

[image: Nikki Nelson/WENN]

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Former bodyguard turned actor Michael Clarke Duncan has died at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday, September 3rd. He was 54 years old.

Duncan was hospitalized in July after suffering a heart attack and never fully recovered. He was at home when the attack took place with his girlfriend, Reverend Omarosa Manigault reviving him until medical personnel arrived. Duncan spent the last few weeks in the hospital.

Manigault released a statement through a rep saying she “is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date.”

The 6 foot 5 inch tall, 300 lbs. actor started his career as a bodyguard and worked for Will Smith and Jamie Foxx.

Duncan was Oscar nominated for his turn as a convict on death row in The Green Mile. He had roles in films such as Armageddon, Sin City, Planet of the Apes and School for Scoundrels. He also put his baritone voice to good use in animated features including Kung Fu Panda and Brother Bear.

Tom Hanks, his costar in The Green Mile said he was “stunned” by Duncan’s untimely death:

“I am terribly saddened at the loss of Big Mike,” he said in a statement. “He was the treasure we all discovered on the set of ‘The Green Mile.’ He was magic. He was a big love of man and his passing leaves us stunned.”

Their director, Frank Darabont shared his thoughts on Duncan:

“I’m devastated at the loss of Michael Clarke Duncan, one of the finest people I’ve ever had the privilege to work with or know. Michael was the gentlest of souls—an exemplar of decency, integrity, and kindness.”

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His high-octane films catapulted him to fame and success but on Sunday afternoon, director Tony Scott plunged to his death at the age of 68.

The scene at the Vincent Thomas Bridge which is over Los Angeles harbor is being investigated as an apparent suicide as Scott plummeted into the water at approximately 12:30 in the afternoon on Sunday, August 19th.

Several 911 calls were placed as eyewitnesses called in to report that someone had jumped over the bridge. Lt. Tim Nordquist of the Los Angeles Police Department said a dive team was dispatched to recover Scott’s body. An autopsy is scheduled for today.

“I can confirm that Tony Scott has passed away. The family asks that their privacy is respected at this time,” his spokesman Simon Halls said in a statement.

Apparent suicide notes to loved ones – his wife Donna Wilson Scott and their twin sons Frank and Max – were found in his car, which he parked at the top of the bridge.

Today comes word that the British-born filmmaker had an inoperable form of brain cancer which may have led the producer/director/screenwriter to take his life.

Among Tony Scott’s career highlights: he was director of Top Gun, Days of Thunder, Man on Fire, True Romance, Beverly Hills Cop II, Crimson Tide and Unstoppable. He was a producer on the TV series Numb3rs and The Good Wife as well as films Prometheus, The Grey and The A-Team.

Scott’s brother, director Ridley Scott, was seen today at London’s Heathrow Airport heading to Los Angeles to be with his family.

[image: WENN]

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The final curtain has gone down for Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch.  He died on Monday, August 6 in Los Angeles after a short illness.

His name may not be too familiar at first, but you most certainly know his work, which arguably holds a key place in the soundtrack for late 20th century America.  During his career, collected the full house of major entertainment awards, holding three Oscars, four Emmys, four Grammys, three Golden Globes and a Tony.  His Pulitzer, for the 1975 Broadway show “A Chorus Line” (for which he also scored a Tony) was just icing on the cake.  In all, he composed songs and scores for over 40 movies, including Barbra Streisand‘s hit “The Way We Were,” from the movie of the same name, and “Nobody Does It Better,” the theme song from the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.

Hamlisch adapted the music of early 20th century ragtime composer Scott Joplin to create the soundtrack for “The Sting,” starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford.  He won an Oscar for his work on the film.

Classically trained, Hamlisch attended the Julliard School from the age of seven.  In addition to composing music, he held the position of principal pop conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony and Pops, Seattle Symphony and San Diego Symphony.

Hamlisch is survived by his wife, Terre Blair.

“One singular sensation” indeed.  Thanks for the hits, Marvin. 

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